Pretty as a Primrose
by DramioneForever123
Summary: Prim and Rory help each other cope while Katniss is possibly nearing death in the Hunger Games.. and they might fall in love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**This is basically a series of one-shots about Prim and Rory in District 12 while Katniss is in the Hunger Games. This first chapter will hopefully give you a little insight on how I feel Prim is like. Enjoy and leave comments/ suggestions below! :)**

Disclaimer: *waiting*

*waiting*

*waiting*

Nope, still don't own the Hunger Games.

**Pretty as a Primrose**

**Chapter 1**

**The Reaping**

I watch as our comically-dressed escort daintily picks a name from the Reaping Bowl. She opens it, takes a deep breath, and announces who the female tribute is.

I'm not prepared for what she says.

"Primrose Everdeen,"

My breathing slows. It's like the world's stopped. My vision blurs, the only thing I can focus on is the stage. And how I am slowly, robotically, unwillingly walking towards it. I can feel my already blurry vision clouding up with tears.

Suddenly, I hear a scream. One that I know too well.

"PRIM! PRIM!"

I turn around, half-way to the stage. Katniss is screaming my name over and over as the Peacekeepers try to quiet her down and usher her to the back of the crowd.

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

It takes me a moment to process what's going on. But when I realize that she's walked past me and is headed to the stage, I lose it.

I'm running towards her only to be scooped up by a pair of strong arms which carry me away from the stage, to my mother.

"Let go!" I cry, kicking and pounding Gale as he carries me away from my sister. It seems so childish but it's the only thing I can think to do. The thought that I'm hurting him crosses my mind, but I'm too upset, mad, and confused to care.

Gale gently sets me down next to my mother who's eyes are welling up with tears. She pulls me in front of her and rests her hands on my shoulders. Maybe it's for comfort. Maybe it's because she doesn't want me to run.

As I turn to the stage that's when I realize all of District 12 is waiting for me to calm down so that Effie Trinket can announce the boy's name.

I don't want to calm down but I force myself to just stare at Katniss. Which just makes tears stream down my face yet again.

-

When I see her in the Justice Building I feel a flurry of emotions. Among them though, there's one that stands out.

Jealousy.

I feel horrible. My sister is risking her life to save mine. She is willing to die if it means protecting me for another year. So why am I jealous? Because never in a million years would I be brave enough to do that. I admire my sister so much, and it kills me that we're polar opposites. Not that different I suppose, but where it counts, very.

If Katniss was Reaped I would never be able to volunteer. She's so selfless. She never once thought twice about becoming the "man" of the family after our father died. She never complained.

I shake these thoughts from my head and look at Katniss. She's staring into my mother's eyes while telling her strictly that she can't tune out the world again like she did after our dad died.

Visions fly through my head. Tridents, spears, knives, even poisoned darts come to mind as I picture how the life of my beautiful sister could end. The thought of a pool of blood forming around her cold body is too much for me to bear.

I break down and sob as I hug Katniss tightly, telling her I love her and to be safe and whatever else I can spew out while (whilst? Not sure sorry) pouring my eyes out.

"Don't cry little duck. I love you too," she says, smiling and crying at the same time.

Mom sits next to Katniss and cautiously hugs her. Katniss responds by throwing an arm around her as well.

Here we sat. All 3 Everdeen women sobbing on the soft couch of the Justice Building. What a sight.

It's over all too soon. The Peacekeeper looks at us for a moment with pity, but then his face hardens as he tells us it's time to go. I can't leave Katniss. I can't. The Peacekeeper tries to lift me off of Katniss but fails. I'm holding on too tight.

As the Peacekeeper is about to call for backup Katniss says "Go home, Prim. And I'll be there before you know it. I love you Prim and I couldn't have asked for a better sister. Please stay strong for me and mom. And don't forget to tuck your tail in, little duck," she says with a sad smile as she squeezes me tightly and plants a kiss on my forehead.

The Peacekeeper ushers me out but I keep turning back to watch Katniss. She's looking out the window. As I'm about to turn the corner I realize I should've been the one saying to things to her. About how she's been such a great sister to me.

But it's too late now, and as I turn the corner I see Gale heading into the room accompanied by another Peacekeeper.

After we get outside I take a deep breath and run. As fast as I can towards our house. I find myself ignoring my mother's calls from behind me. I'm not a very fast runner so by the time I read halfway my side hurts unbelievably badly and it's all I can do to not cry even more than I already am.

As I reach the house that once held two other people I sit down on the steps and cry. I'd go inside, but it doesn't feel right going inside without Katniss.

I put my head in my hands. A lack of numbness, per say, has taken over and blanks out my mind. As a result, it forces me to think of what would happen if Katniss...never came home.

That makes me cry harder. So I just sit there, crying with my entire body shaking by the force of my tears.

I hear the creaking of the steps as someone sits next to me. They sit there for a moment, as if unsure what to do.

Suddenly, they wrap their arms around me and hug me. I find myself hugging them back.

Who could it be? My eyes are so cloudy I can't see a thing. Could it be mom? Gale was at the Justice Building and mom was on the way back. It would definitely take her atleast 10 minutes to get here.

So the only people it could be would be anyone in Gale's family.

So I pull back from the warm embrace and stare into the dark gray eyes of...

**CLIFFIE! Haha don't hate me :* first Hunger Games story, I hope you like it! Please leave comments and suggestions in the review box below. I'm hoping for at least one review! :)**

**Love you**  
**~DramioneForever123~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

So I pull back from the warm embrace and stare into the dark gray eyes of Rory. He's Gale's younger brother. We're around the same age. Although we've made small talk before we've never really had a proper conversation. We're friends, but not Gale and Katniss kind of friends.

"Rory?" I'm shocked at how strangled my voice sounds as I say his name. Maybe I've been crying for more than I thought.

He looks at me with pity, but he looks fazed himself.

"Prim?" he says with a slight smile on his face.

I can't help it. I smile back.

He's stopped hugging me now, and although I'm not sure why, I find myself missing the feeling of someone's arms around me.

"What are you doing here?" I say, clearing my throat.

"Just came by to see how you were doing, you know? With Katniss and all,"

Hearing my sister's name brought on a pang of sadness.

My eyes start to water again and so I look away from Rory. I don't want him to see me cry. He looks over to me again and somehow realizes that tears are silently pouring down my face.

"Don't cry, Prim. It'll be okay. She'll survive, don't worry,"

I look at him and smile. But then I become aware of my looks. I must look hideous.

I've never really bothered with how I looked. Most people here in 12 resembles each other in one way or another. So to every passerby I probably seem like just any other girl. But for some reason I feel like I should look nice around Rory. But why? It's not like he's different from any other boys our age. Just because his brother is best friends with my sister doesn't make him any different.

I quickly turn away from him and run into the house screaming "I have to go, see you later!"

I peek out the window a second later. He looks confused and then troubled again. He walks down the steps and towards his house, and it's almost like he was never there. My mother walks into the house.

"Prim?"

I walk away from the window and towards my mother. She hugs me. It feels good to be hugged, but Rory's was so much more...warmer.

It's not that my mother was mean or anything, but it felt better hugging Rory. I feel like a horrible person, but what do you know? I am one.

I let go of Mom and walk into the bedroom where we all sleep. I lay down on the cot me and Katniss used to share and breathe in deeply. It still smells like her. She smelled fresh, like the woods. Probably because that was where she was most of the time.

I feel the tears pool in my eyes again, and one rolls down my face as I close my eyes to sleep.

"Prim?" says my mother softly, sitting down on the edge of the cot.

I open my eyes and smile, only to have it turn into a frown after remembering the events of yesterday.

"They'll be at the Capitol soon. I thought you might want to watch with me. And Gale's family, of course,"

This was a "tradition" of sorts at our house. Every year we switch houses to watch the Hunger Games. Believe me, we don't want to. But it's mandatory that everyone watches it. The Capitol knows when our TV is on or off. So we basically spend around two weeks being at each other's house constantly. We started this when both our fathers died in the Mines. It was hard for my mother and when Hazelle called us over to her home she gratefully accepted, wanting to get out of the house for a few days. Of course, she wouldn't totally be out of it, she'd still have to change.

They wouldn't show us much today, but it was mandatory, and so Hazelle, Rory, Vick. and little Posy squeeze into our tiny house. Gale's out hunting. He doesn't care about the rules. Neither did Katniss, when she was here. They used to go hunting in the morning and get a wild dog or turkey for us to feast on. The Capitol has these motion-sensor things where they register the amount of people in the room. As long as the amount of people who should be in the family are there and are moving sometimes they don't care how many people we watch with. In fact, they encourage us.

We wait until Gale gets back to turn on the TV. Luckily we haven't missed the part of them getting down in the Capitol.

Mom sits on our three-seated couch along with Hazelle and Vick. Posy is on Hazelle's lap, playing with an old doll of mine that my dad had whittled out of a piece of wood for me. I know it's childish, but I feel like snatching it out of her chubby baby hands and holding it tight with me. That may as well be my last memory with my father.

***flashback***

Dad and I were always the first ones awake. Today I woke up with a nightmare and Dad stayed up with me.

"How would you like a present?" asked Dad with a smile.

"Can I?" I asked, shocked. We've never had enough money to buy toys and games so we made do with what we had.

"Yup! And we're going to make it ourselves!"

I remember being disappointed for a moment as Dad disappeared into his bedroom. When he came out though, that was the start of the best day ever. Well, more like a few hours.. But the best of my life nonetheless. He opened up the bag and showed me all the different shapes and sizes of wood he had collected while hunting over the years. There were so many that I felt overwhelmed.

I didn't want one of them to feel bad because I didn't pick it. On an impulse, he put his hand all the way at the bottom of the bag and felt around for a moment. When he finally picked one from the bottom and showed it to me I knew that was the perfect wood for whatever toy my dad was going to make for me.

"Daddy? What are you going to make me?"

He smiled and knelt down so we were face to face. "Anything you want,"

"Can I have a doll?"

"Sure," he's said, and he began whittling and sawing and chipping away at the wood until it became a doll. Our sofa was already falling apart so he held his finger up to his lips and with his other hand pulled out a cluster of thread. He then glued it to the doll's head and drew a happy smiling face on it.

He handed it to me and I hugged it to my chest.

"Thanks Daddy," I said, smiling. I was so happy. Toys were rare in 12 as well as expensive and I really truly loved the doll.

"Anytime," he said, hugging me.

***flashback over***

The doll's hair is almost all gone and it's drawn on face has faded but I still feel a part of my father in them. It was his passion. Making things out of wood and being in the woods himself. That's when he was most happy.

I force myself not to look at Posy who is roughly tossing it around. She's just a kid but I can't shake the feeling of wanting to rip it out of her hands.

I turn to look at Gale. He's seated in my father's armchair, the one by the fire. He's staring into the ground with his eyebrows furrowed. He gets like that when he's upset or angry.

I'm seated on the floor in front of the TV with a tattered blanket wrapped around me. Even though its not cold at all I still feel the need to have it around me. It makes me feel protected. Like I felt with Rory when he hugged me.

Rory is seated beside me and I glance over at him. He's tapping his fingers nervously. I suddenly wonder if I look alright. It normally wouldn't matter to me but it felt different with him. I'm not sure why but my fingers fly up to my hair as I straighten it out. I didn't brush it before I went to sleep so when I woke up it was knotted and messy. Katniss and I used to brush each other's hair before we went to sleep. It was the only time I was truly alone with my sister and I loved it. She never yelled at me or lost her patience. She did at Mom but never with me.

God, I miss her so much.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the Capitol's anthem ringing through our house. I can't help but shudder. They announce that they're going to be showing us the tributes getting off the trains.

The District 1 through 11 tributes are a blur to me. I don't tune in until I hear the announcer say "Please welcome the tributes from District 12, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

I look up in time to see Peeta and my sister. She's staring out at the vastness of the Capitol until she sees what Peeta's doing, waving to the crowd. She mimics him, although not smiling like he is.

Before I notice a tear runs down my face. It Katniss didn't volunteer for me is this how it would've been? She looks so broken stepping off the train platform. And then I realize.

It should've been me. It should've been me sadly looking out at the Capitol. It should've been me looking sadder than sad as I stepped off the train. It should've been me who's about to die.

I don't think twice before letting out a strangled sob and running out the front door. I run and run until I reach the Meadow. I sit down (more like fall) and sob. It feels wrong, sobbing for hours like this. Katniss would've wanted me to be strong. She would've been strong.

But what can I say?

I am not Katniss.

**Hey there guys! I'd like to thank sweetStarre123 and krikanalo for reviewing. And to the guest reviewer, thank you so much :) you made you smile with your review! *hands everyone cookies***

**Have you seen Finnick's shirtless picture yet? I'm in love you guys. :* Anyways, leave me comments and suggestions in the review box below :) I'm open to constructive criticism, so please tell me something I should improve on.**

**Love you chickadees,**

**DramioneForever123**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I'm sitting there with my face buried in my hands for what seems like an eternity. I wipe my tears from my undoubtedly red puffy eyes. I lay back into the grass and stare up at the sky. What I should be seeing is blue and white. But I see coal dust and grey clouds and not a bird in the sky.

I sit up and hunt around for dandelions. Whenever Katniss takes me here to hurt for herbs or medicinal plants I can't help but pluck a couple dandelions here and there. I find a patch of 30 something of them just sitting there, waiting to be blown away by the wind.

'30 wasted wishes,' I think. I begin to pluck them, not wanting to let them dry up in the sun and wind.

I pluck one, make my wish, and blow on it, watching the seeds fly away as if they were going to grant my wish. Just the way Katniss taught me.

The cycle repeats itself over and over.

_'Please let Katniss come home. Please let Katniss come home. Please let Katniss come home,'_

After I finish at that patch I walk towards the edge of the fence, careful not to touch it. Here I find another patch of dandelions, and to my surprise, a bow and a sheath full of arrows. It's tucked away under the patch. I hold it and glance at the sheath. It has three dots in a row with an oval them carved into it.

It's my sister's.

She has so many it's hard to count where she hid them all.

I wrap it inside the blanket I brought, making sure to add a few flowers to the top to make it look like a bouquet. Truth be told, the Peacekeepers  
don't like us going into the Meadow, but it's the woods that's off limits. I'm not sure why though. This is truly the only place I probably will ever be happy.

I put the bow and sheath neatly wrapped in blankets next to me as I pluck more dandelions. I hear shuffling and footsteps coming towards me and tuck the bow and arrows underneath my legs. I don't want to risk anyone seeing them.

I pretend to be engrossed in a dandelion when a dark shadow casts over me and the patch. I look up and see Rory.

He doesn't say a word to me as he sits down next to me. He plucks a dandelion and mouths something I don't understand to it and finally releases it into the world. I take one, make a wish, and blow. He takes one, makes a wish, then blows. The cycle repeats. It's actually quite peaceful, sitting there, making wishes.

I decide to stop. I've done 77 (her favorite number is seven) dandelions and I think that's enough, atleast for a day or twoin the arena.

I cringe. When did I start thinking horrible thoughts like this? And the thought of her being killed in millions of ways floods my mind. Swords, traps, animals, knives, tridents, spears, drowning, suffocating, natural disasters, and finally the worst two of all.

1) Getting killed by your own ally

2) And Katniss being killed with a bow and arrows. Her own weapon.

Tears well in my eyes before I can stop them. But it keeps playing over and over. An arrow. Deadly and silent as it buzzes through the air. Piercing her heart. Ending her life. Ending my life.

Because if Katniss dies I have no reason to live any longer. Our mom can get by on her own. I have no real friends. What's to live for? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Once my beautiful amazing perfect sister leaves this planet I might as well die too. Less of a disgrace to the planet.

I fall hard on the ground as I stare up at the depressing sky. Rory looks at me, and after finishing one of his wishes he plops down next to me.

"Hey Prim?" he asks, turning so he can face me.

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like without the Games?"

"Yeah, but it's not like we can change anything. Nothing we say matters anyways," I say softly, wishing the clouds would clear.

"Prim," he sighs, "there's nothing we can do about her in the Games. I'm sorry,"

"You don't need to be sorry Rory. I just.. It should've been me, you know? I just don't know what to do anymore,"

He slowly rests his hand on mine and says "All you can do is be strong for her,"

I turn and face him, looking into his deep gray eyes.

"How?" I ask, not expecting an answer. He doesn't give me one.

Instead, he yanks me off the ground and puts his arms around me and hugs me.

I hug back, letting the tears flow. I'm waiting, but I'm all dried up. I feel tired, but I feel so happy and protected and warm at the same time. I lean on him, putting my head on his shoulder. I feel happy. Safe. Content. A tiny little flicker of candlelight during a downpour.

He pulls away for a second and brushes a strand on hair was from my face. He speaks.

"Prim, no matter what happens, I'll be right by your side. Okay?"

"Okay," I smile, hugging him again. I feel protected.

We don't say anything. We're just standing at the end of the Meadow, hugging each other like the world might end tomorrow.

And who knows? Considering we live in Panem, it could easily end tomorrow.

**Thanks to krikanalo for reviewing! Please leave a comment or suggestion in the comment box. Remember, it only takes a minute to review! And with each review, you're making me smile :)**

**Love you chickadees**

**~DramioneForever123~**


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